Catch the Short Bus: 1947 Ford Vanette school bus project

This well-used "1947" (most likely 1948 or 1949) Ford school bus, which appears to be an unknown builder school bus conversion of a Ford F3 or F5 multi-stop truck with a Vanette body, is a worthy project for someone wanting to restore a school bus, someone wanting an advertising vehicle, someone wanting a good camper conversion basis, or a multitude of other uses. The 1940s Ford truck chassis leaves the field wide open for all kinds of suspension, brake, cooling and powertrain upgrades, the spacious body leaves lots of options for interior design, and its modest 17-foot length makes it reasonably sized for use in today's world.

Despite being rusty, the panels and body skeleton parts can all be made easily, the seller has extra dash gauges, the straight-six engine turns over, and most parts are easily available between the Ford aftermarket, the multi-stop truck aftermarket and the huge number of Vanette-bodied Fords still rotting in junkyards.

Find it here for $2500 in Santa Cruz, California